Brief: Design an awareness campaign to promote and highlight Narcolepsy, the rare lifelong sleep disorder with sudden uncontrollable sleep attacks. This undiagnosed and sometimes Invisable illness can have a huge impact on every aspect of a persons life. Strive to promote effective ways of promoting awareness around Narcolepsy and its inaccurate portrayal to enable society to have a better understanding of people who live with this illness, which in turn will enable people who live with Narcolepsy to live their lives without ridicule.
The Approach: I approached this brief by researching many different aspects of Narcolepsy. I decided to develop and work on the judgement people have as it is a very misunderstood disorder. I took pictures of people asleep in inappropriate places and then asked people to write down the first thing that comes to mind when they see the picture- this was all judgement. I took some keywords out of that which then proved to be the main aspect of my campaign. Leaving everyone that passes the billboard thinking about what it could be like. To find out more and 'open their eyes' they need to visit the website which will give more information. Click here to see my journey from my research all the way through to a final outcome.
The Solution: Open Your Eyes is a campaign focusing on the judgemental nature of people towards those with Narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a rare brain condition that causes a person to suddenly fall asleep at inappropriate times. Due to the hidden nature of the disorder Narcoleptics are often judged as lazy, irresponsible or antisocial. I devised a campaign to support those with Narcolepsy challenging the stereotype. I created billboard posters which would be situated all over cities and towns in conjunction with other promotional material such as flyers and a website in which people that pass the billboard can visit to 'Open their Eyes.'
Expansion: Raising awareness about Narcolepsy through the use of vinyl stickers in public places. These stickers could be placed anywhere and on anything to provide a constant reminder of judgements. These stickers can also perform as a way of promoting the ‘Open Your Eyes’ campaign and reaching a wider target audience. The Open Your Eyes campaign will also be expanded into the digital world with it's own Instagram page posting images of the campaign where people can comment and share their experiences, like a little community online.
